Allow us to introduce our GL Bride of the week, Erika Houwman, who graced her wedding day in our G-104 gown! Against the picturesque backdrop of the Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, CA, Erika's journey to becoming a GL bride unfolded in a setting of unparalleled beauty. In the following interview, Erika shares what she loved the most and how she found the dress of her dreams. As told by Erika:
A moment of your wedding day will you never forget?
During dinner I took a moment to just look around at our beautiful reception space and all of my loved ones in one place and felt immense gratitude.
One thing you wish you knew as a new bride? What advice would you give to future brides?
I wish I’d been given the advice to make sure to book your must-have vendors as soon as possible after you get engaged because they book up fast! The advice I’d give to future brides is to just enjoy the season of engagement and wedding planning – it is a lot of work but it is such a special season of life and one I’ll look back on with fond memories.
A detail that made your wedding special/unique?
A few come to mind! I was able to alter and wear my mothers wedding dress to my rehearsal dinner the night before our wedding and it was a surprise to everyone there which was really special! Second, I had both my dad and my step-dad walk me down the aisle which ended up being perfect and I loved that I could have that special father-daughter moment with both of them!
After 7 different dress stores, I began to think that feeling of finding “the dress” wasn’t real but before my last dress store appointment I had found a photo of mine online and really loved it on the website so when I went into my last dress appointment I just happened to see it when looking through the thousands of dresses. I was so excited I tried it on right away and finally got that “this is my wedding dress” feeling. I knew it was confirmed when my mom also thought it was perfect!
How did it feel when you put on your dress the day of the wedding? What was everyone's reaction to the dress?
I felt so happy when I put on my wedding dress on my wedding day because I loved it even more than I did when I first tried it on in the store. I ended up keeping my dress a secret from all my bridesmaids so I got to do a reveal with them on the wedding day and that was one of the best feelings. They were all so surprised by what I chose but loved it just as much as I did!
Nothing seriously..I made a tiktok the morning of my wedding while getting ready and then when I went to film the last clip the whole video erased so I guess I would’ve worked on my tiktok skills more prior if anything!
What was your favourite part of the wedding to plan/you were most looking forward to?
My favorite part to plan was the reception! I was so lucky to truly have my dream wedding and everything about it turned out so perfect thanks to my wonderful wedding planner and mom who helped put everything together! The food and cake tasting were also super fun of course! From the champagne tower to the photobooth to our live musicians, everything was beyond wonderful and it was truly the best day of my life!
How did you meet your husband? How did he propose?
We met in dental school in 2020! We began dating in the fall of our first year and the rest was history! He proposed on a trip to Hawaii for spring break with some of our dental school classmates – he had a photographer and white rose petals on a lawn overlooking the ocean so he did a great job!
How did you find working with the team at Galia Lahav?
Everyone I had the pleasure of working with was truly amazing and so helpful! I can’t recommend buying your wedding dress from them enough – I would do it again 1000 times!
How many dresses did you try on before you found it?
Oh goodness probably around 50- 60! I wasn’t going to settle until I found the one and I’m so glad I fell in love with a Galia gown!
